14. One – See Yourself In A Whole New Way

Credo: Seeing Ourselves In A Whole New Way

“The first and last shield and buckler of the non-violent person will be his (or her) unwavering faith in God.” Gandhi

2. I am loved by my Creator exactly as I am.

“Every human being, however degraded, has in him (or her) the divine spark, i.e. limitless potentiality for growth and is capable of responding to kind, generous treatment
Gandhi.

3. I am not an accident.

I have a purpose.

I was shaped by my Creator to help win justice for all who suffer injustice.

“Self-realization cannot be achieved unless you identify yourself with the whole of humankind and try to advance the greatest good of all.” Gandhi

4. I will not discover my purpose nor realize my power (my own soul force)

until I join my Creator in doing justice (making things fair for all.)

“I shall never know God if I do not wrestle with and against evil even at the cost of life itself.” Gandhi

5. When I join my Creator in doing justice,

my life will be empowered and made more meaningful.

“The only weapon of the Satyagrahi is God, by whatsoever name one knows Him. Without him the Satyagrahi is devoid of strength before an opponent armed with monstrous weapons. But he who accepts Go as his only protector will remain unbent before the mightiest earthly power.” Gandhi

*Note: Neither Gandhi nor King required sectarian allegiance to any one statement of faith or religious practice.

6. In serving others it is as much more moral obligation

to refuse to cooperate with evil as it is to cooperate with good.

“Without the co-operation, direct or indirect, of the wronged the wrong-doer cannot do the wrong intended by him.” Gandhi

Which of the above beliefs do you find most difficult to accept?

Do you need to see yourself in a whole new way?

Do you believe you have a purpose? What is it?

Do you believe in a “Creator?” Does that belief effect your activism?

A Gandhi Vow:

“I am a child of the Creator who loves me exactly as I am…”

Gandhi read Jesus’ command to “love your neighbor as yourself” and assumed by the arrangement of those five words that it was necessary to love yourself before loving your neighbor was even possible. Therefore he insisted that people who did not love themselves should not participate in a NONVIOLENCE campaign until they could see themselves in a whole new way.

For centuries, India’s “untouchables” had been seen as inferior, outcasts, and not quite human. They couldn’t join Gandhi in freeing India until they saw themselves in a whole new way. To help achieve that goal, Gandhi renamed the “untouchables” Harijan” or “Children of God.” It worked. During Gandhi’s lifetime the Harijan began to see themselves in a whole new way. Fifty years later, K.R. Narayanan, a Harijan, was elected President of India. A British High Commissioner wrote, “Gandhi taught the Indian to straighten his back, to raise his eyes, to face circumstances with a steady gaze.”

For centuries, African-Americans had been seen as inferior, outcasts and not quite human. In a speech to the National Press Association, Dr. King explained that his people had to see themselves in a whole new way before they could rise up nonviolently against oppression.

“Once plagued with a tragic sense of inferiority resulting from the crippling effects of slavery and segregation, the Negro has now been driven to reevaluate himself. He has come to feel that he is somebody. With this new sense of somebodiness and self- respect, a new Negro has emerged with a new determination to achieve freedom and human dignity whatever the cost may be.”

For centuries church and state have seen LGBTQ people as inferior, outcasts and not quite human. Every time I repeat these words – “God created you and loves you exactly as you are” – LGBTQ people in the audience tear up and even applaud. Even atheists applaud! Like Gandhi’s Harijan and King’s “Negroes” LGBTQ people have been told by Christians repeatedly that God doesn’t love them as they are. No wonder they need to see themselves in a whole new way before they can reclaim their humanity and take their stand against homophobia and oppression.

Have you ever felt like an outcast?

What / who made you feel that way?

Are you still a victim of the lies or do you see yourself in a whole new way?

CREDO: SEEING OURSELVES IN A WHOLE NEW WAY

1. I am a child of the Creator.*

“The first and last shield and buckler of the non-violent person will be his (or her) unwavering faith in God.” Gandhi

2. I am loved by my Creator exactly as I am.

“Every human being, however degraded, has in him (or her) the divine spark, i.e. limitless potentiality for growth and is capable of responding to kind, generous treatment
Gandhi.

3. I am not an accident. I have a purpose. I was shaped by my Creator to help win justice for all who suffer injustice.

“Self-realization cannot be achieved unless you identify yourself with the whole of humankind and try to advance the greatest good of all.” Gandhi

4. I will not discover my purpose nor realize my power (my own soul force) until I join my Creator in doing justice (making things fair for all.)

“I shall never know God if I do not wrestle with and against evil even at the cost of life itself.” Gandhi

5. When I join my Creator in doing justice, my life will be empowered and made more meaningful.

“The only weapon of the Satyagrahi is God, by whatsoever name one knows Him. Without him the Satyagrahi is devoid of strength before an opponent armed with monstrous weapons. But he who accepts Go as his only protector will remain unbent before the mightiest earthly power.” Gandhi

*Note: Neither Gandhi nor King required sectarian allegiance to any one statement of faith or religious practice.

6. In serving others it is as much more moral obligation to refuse to cooperate with evil as it is to cooperate with good.

“Without the co-operation, direct or indirect, of the wronged the wrong-doer cannot do the wrong intended by him.” Gandhi